


Ugly Plates And Ice Cream Are How We Cope

by Dreamin



Series: What Happens After [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 08:04:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19866250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin
Summary: It's been a year since Tony Stark sacrificed everything to save the universe and Stephen Strange wants to know how Pepper Stark is doing.





	Ugly Plates And Ice Cream Are How We Cope

**Author's Note:**

  * For [afteriwake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/gifts).



> This'll probably be the only time I go fully along with the MCU canon post-Endgame, so I'm going all-out. 
> 
> Not a fix-it fic, just a "picking up the pieces" fic.

_I should’ve called first,_ Stephen Strange thought as he watched from the trees just beyond the Stark cabin. It was the Friday after the first anniversary of Tony Stark’s death. Stephen had taken part in all of the public ceremonies marking the anniversary plus a private ceremony at the former Avengers compound. Through all of them, he said the expected things but mostly, he watched Pepper Stark.

Tony’s widow had the expected sad serenity of a grieving woman in the public eye – too much emotion and people would say she was making them uncomfortable, too little and people would say she didn’t care. Most people didn’t look past the surface but Stephen could tell she just wanted to scream. He decided to wait a few days before seeing how she was truly doing.

That brought him to this moment, watching from the trees as Pepper handed her young daughter Morgan off to Happy Hogan. As Happy got the five-year-old settled in the backseat of his car, she asked that he put Barney on the DVD player. Stephen caught the momentary horror on Happy’s face, which Morgan missed, and he couldn’t help chuckling.

Pepper waved goodbye to Morgan until the car was no longer visible then she said loudly as she walked back into the cabin, “You can come in now, whoever you are.”

Stephen walked into the cabin and found Pepper in the kitchen, putting dirty dishes from breakfast in the dishwasher. “I’m sorry for barging in like this, Mrs. Stark.”

She turned around and assessed him, taking in his blue jeans, gray t-shirt, and black cardigan, then her eyes met his. “Pepper, please, Dr. Strange.”

He smiled a bit. “Stephen.”

Pepper nodded. “I could feel someone watching us. I assumed whoever it was wasn’t hostile or they would have tried something.”

“Good instincts,” Stephen said approvingly.

“Well, it was either that or summon the suit and I didn’t want to scare Morgan. Happy’s taking her to spend the weekend with Clint and Laura and their kids. They adore her and she likes being with a big, noisy family.”

Stephen nodded. “Have you worn the Rescue suit since-”

“No, and I hope I never will again,” she said quietly, cutting him off. “I’ll always associate the suit with that day.”

“That’s understandable,” he said gently. “Unless I’m wrong, that was your first time wearing it.”

“Except for the testing, yes.” She couldn’t help a small smile. “It was an anniversary present from Tony, something he said he’d been working on for years.”

Stephen nodded. “He wanted it to be perfect for you.”

“Tony always was a perfectionist. After he … after that day, I found plans for upgrades to my suit, Rhodey’s suit, even a suit for Morgan if she wanted one when she was older. He was never satisfied, he insisted he could always find ways to improve things.” She plastered on a pleasant smile. “But enough about me, what brings you here, Stephen?”

“I wanted to see how you were,” he said gently. “And maybe offer you a shoulder to cry on, or at least a sympathetic ear.”

Pepper let out a mirthless laugh. “Everyone else has offered the same thing in the past year. No one understands what I really need.” She turned to the counter and started wiping it down.

“What’s that?” he asked curiously.

“To scream, to break something, to … to be something other than ‘strong Pepper Stark.’ Everyone expects me to be the brave upholder of Tony’s legacy,” she turned back to Stephen, “but you know what? I’m tired of it. I’m tired of being this paragon of virtue. I’m especially tired of people acting like Morgan should be properly behaved at all times. Well, you know what? She’s not. She’s a five-year-old who lost her daddy and sometimes she gets upset about that and sometimes she still has meltdowns and I’m sick of people looking down their noses at both of us when it happens!” Tears were streaming down her face but she ignored them. “I want to have a meltdown too sometimes but I can’t. I’m the adult. I’m the mom, and if I break down? Who will take care of Morgan then, huh?”

Stephen pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to her, saying gently, “That’s why you agreed to Morgan spending a weekend with the Bartons, so you could crash without her seeing.”

Pepper took the handkerchief, nodding, then she wiped her eyes. “This is the first time I’ve been without her since that day. I needed her close but now…”

“Now you need privacy.”

“Yes. I can be ‘strong Pepper Stark’ again on Sunday when Happy brings her back.”

Stephen nodded and a stack of dishes appeared on the island, each one uglier than the last.

Pepper took one look at them and couldn’t help a small laugh. “Are those for throwing?”

He grinned. “You catch on fast. Just don’t cut yourself on the shards, I don’t need Tony’s angry ghost coming after me.” He wondered if he went too far with his joke but Pepper just shook her head, smiling.

“If he hasn’t come after me for living like a recluse this past year, then he won’t come after you if I accidentally cut myself.”

“You haven’t gone out at all?” Stephen asked gently.

“No,” she admitted. “Happy takes Morgan everywhere she wants to go – the park, the movies, the zoo. My friends will ask if I want to have a girls’ night out, or even a girls’ night in, but I always decline. About a month ago, one of them even tried setting me up on a blind date but I shot that down. The only men in my life right now are Ben & Jerry.”

He smiled a bit. “Stark Raving Hazelnuts?”

She smiled back. “Phish Food.”

He chuckled. “Nice. Well, I’ll leave you to it. I just wanted to see how you were and I think you’re going to be okay, Pepper Stark.”

“Thank you, Stephen Strange.” She paused. “You could join me. That is, if you don’t have anything better to do.”

He grinned. “Do you have any Chocolate Therapy?”


End file.
